Have you ever wondered how one day for the Lord could be equal to a thousand years for humankind? You might be surprised to learn that there is a simple scientific explanation. According to Einstein’s principle of general relativity, time is relative, which is to say that it varies based on situational circumstances. Most scientists before the 20th century believed that time was constant, but Einstein proved otherwise. Einstein’s work showed that time varies based on velocity, energy, and mass (gravity).Let’s take mass (gravity). According to relativity, as gravity increases, time slows down. Time moves more quickly for someone in a low gravity environment than it does for someone in a high gravity environment. This may explain why time moves more slowly at God’s throne. The Lord dwells in a place where gravity is high relative to that on earth. We know that His throne is in a star cluster containing many large stars, something which would create massive gravity. Abraham 3:2 reads: “And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it.” The name of the great one nearest to God’s throne is Kolob. Abraham tells us that Kolob “govern[s] all those [worlds] which belong to the same order as that upon which thou [Abraham] standest.” I think Kolob could be at the center of our galaxy.

For years astronomers were unable to take a clear picture of the center of our galaxy because dust blocked the center from view. That has all changed with infrared astrophotography technology. Below is a recent infrared photograph of the center of our galaxy. You’ll see several star clusters. The one on the bottom right of the picture is the most massive. Astronomers think that it contains a black hole because of its massive gravitational pull. This could be the dwelling place of God.Does the cluster shown on the bottom right govern our world as Abraham wrote? Yes, in a physical sense the gravitational pull created by this cluster of huge stars (along with gravity from dark matter) holds our galaxy together and keeps the outer rims (where we are) from flying off into intergalactic space. Would time be slower for someone living in this cluster? Definitely so. The massive gravity in that cluster would slow down time, perhaps to the point where one day equaled a thousand years on earth.

Pioneering research on brain functions by the eminent neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield provides scientific evidence for the existence of a spirit.

A few decades ago Dr. Penfield was attempting to identify the source of epileptic seizures by stimulating regions of patients’ brains. His did this by exposing the brain and delivering mild electric currents (shocks) to the conscious patient's surface neocortex. By this process he hoped to identify areas of the brain that triggered epileptic seizures. If the seizure location in a patient could be identified he would consider removing the tissue to prevent future seizures. By repeatedly stimulating brain regions in conscious patients and noting the effects, Penfield was able to construct a remarkably detailed map of localized functions in the brain, a map showing which areas of the brain controlled sensations and movements in the body.In all his work on searching for epileptic trigger sites, Penfield noticed something very interesting. He noted that he could not locate the mind, the thing that regulates conscious decision making, reasoning, sentience, and agency.

When Penfield carried out his investigations, patients would report all sorts of sensations, memories, and movements, but these were things that happened to the patients. You see, his electrode could not stimulate patients to make a choice, to believe something, or to reason, the very things associated with the human mind.

Does this mean that the human mind was not evident in his research? On the contrary, the human mind was present. It was present in the patients’ reports of what Penfield’s electrode caused them to do and feel. For example, when the electrode caused a patient’s hand to move, the patient often said, “I didn’t do that, you did” (i.e., the patient’s mind reflected on how Penfield made his or her hand move). The patient did not say, “I wanted to move my hand (something which would indicate that Penfield stimulated the mind). Penfield concluded that “The patient’s mind, which is considering the situation in such an aloof and critical manner, can only be something quite apart from the neuronal reflex action [brain].”

When Penfield began his studies of the human brain, he had hoped to discover how the brain causes the mind, something that we are continually reminded of by atheists (i.e., there is no agentic mind/spirit, just brain neuronal activity). However, because no one has been able to find the physical areas of the brain that control the mind, we are left to wonder, where is the mind? Penfield wrote that “it will always be quite impossible to explain the mind on the basis of neuronal activity in the brain.” Unable to find the mind in the brain, yet ever aware of the presence of the mind during his research, Penfield determined that something else must be causing the mind. And what was that something else? He declared, “What a thrill it [was] to discover that the scientist, too, can legitimately believe in the existence of the spirit!”

Hi friends. Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. Recently I sold my house, bought a new home, and moved twice. Life has been kind of hectic. Lately I’ve been reflecting on changes in the church (just for fun). Changes 1-9 are non-doctrinal and #10 is doctrinal. (It could be argued that #10 is a policy change. Because it shows up in the D&C as an Official Declaration, I'll call it a doctrinal change.)

Dave’ Top Ten List of LDS Church-Related Changes Over the Last 40 Years1. The cost of building and operating local churches to be funded solely by tithing and not financial donations from members.2. Ricks College is no more.

3. Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, and priesthood and relief society combined into a 3 hour Sunday service (no more evening sacrament meetings).4. A 2-year mission reduced to 18 months and then back to 2 years.5. Members started cleaning church buildings.6. Carpeted gymnasiums replace wood floors in new churches and then back to wood floors again. (On a similar note, older churches used to have windows on the classroom doors, then the church went with solid wood doors that were kind of uninviting, and now we are going back to windows on classroom doors – great for parents who want to check up on their kids.)7. A practice hymn was added immediately following sacrament meeting, and then removed (hallelujah!)8. BYU Provo allows shorts on campus.

9. Changes to the temple endowment.10. All worthy males allowed to receive the priesthood.Dave’s Top 3 List of Changes to Come in the Next 40 Years1. Church shortened to 2 hours. First a 40 minute sacrament meeting with one talk from someone in a ward leadership position, followed by a 40 minute primary and Sunday school block, and then a 40 minute priesthood and relief society block. (Primary leaders and young kids are happy.)2. BYU Provo allows nicely trimmed beards but BYU Idaho still banning shorts.3. Members are allowed once again to cook food in church kitchens.